A stat to watch in Seahawks’ opener vs Broncos

There will be a lot to learn about the Seattle Seahawks this weekend.

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The Seahawks open a new era Sunday at Lumen Field against the Broncos, which serves as the regular-season debut of new head coach Mike Macdonald and a new-look coaching staff. Among the many new faces on Macdonald’s staff is offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb.

Grubb joined the Seahawks this offseason after extensive success as a coordinator in the college ranks. Most recently, he led one of the nation’s top offensives just across town with the UW Huskies. With star quarterback Michael Penix Jr. leading the way, the Huskies were known for their lethal passing attack.

There is an expectation that Grubb’s offense could bring some fireworks to the Seahawks’ passing game. They possess a talented trio of receivers in DK Metcalf, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Tyler Lockett, as well as two-time Pro Bowl quarterback Geno Smith, for the new offensive coordinator to feature.

But Seattle also has a solid two-man duo in the backfield with Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet at running back. And Grubb, a former offensive line coach, isn’t just a pass-happy play caller.

So what exactly will the Seattle offense look like under Grubb? That will begin to be unveiled on Sunday.

“I think they will run the ball. I will be really curious (to see) these (run-pass) numbers, especially early in the season,” former NFL quarterback Brock Huard said during Blue 88 on Brock and Salk. “Those numbers don’t always tell the whole truth. It’s not like baseball. You don’t have 162 games and all these data points. … Pounding the football late in the game to just run the clock out, it can skew those numbers pretty significantly. But I will be really curious in the red zone, in situations and even in base plays on early downs, what does that run-pass mix look like?

“And I think people will be pleasantly surprised to understand that Grubb knows ball and this isn’t going to be 70% pass or 60% pass. You can’t do it.”

Play to your strengths

Establishing a good running game is paramount for the success of just about any team, and Huard thinks that’s definitely the case for the Seahawks.

One of the biggest reasons why is it plays to strengths of the offensive line and quarterback Geno Smith.

“Your O-line in the interior of Connor (Williams) and (Anthony) Bradford and (Christian) Haynes, pass blocking is not their strength. You’re gonna play to guys’ strengths,” Huard said. “I wouldn’t be surprised at all in this opener especially if they try to set the tone (with the run) and then get to … Geno’s greatest strength: Play-action pass. I think he’s unbelievable at it. Just like Russell (Wilson) was before him. And the best play-action pass does come off the best run action. I think we will see a fair amount of that Sunday.”

Listen to the full Blue 88 segment at this link or in the audio player in this story. Tune in to Brock and Salk weekdays from 6-10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

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